TV series
W.I.T.C.H. is an animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. Like the comics, the series follows five ordinary girls: Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin who become endowed with magical powers and become the "Guardians of the Veil". However, in season 2 when Kandrakar lifts the veil, they become the "Guardians of the Infinite Demention". They must save Meridian from the evil sorcerer Phobos and his faithfull companian Cedric who are searching for Phobos' sister, the long lost princess of Meridian. It is later revealed the princess is Cornelia's best friend Elyon, and the Guardians then set about saving her from Phobos. When Meridian is freed from evil and Elyon takes the throne, a new mysterious sorceress named Nerissa frees Phobos's top henchmen and reforms them as the Knights of Vengeance. Once the Guardians learn more about the sorceress and her evil plan of reuniting former Guardians, they are able to defeat the Knights only to have more powerful Knights of Destruction, plus the old Guardians attack them. The Guardians chief ally is Hay Lin's grandmother Yan Lin, a former Guardian herself, and the one that taught the girls about their magical destiny. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian, leader of the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice-versa), humorously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. Matt, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and when he sees all the trouble on it going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. They are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the Universe in Kandrakar, who was the one who chose the Guardians. Production For Season 2, SIP Animation brought a new studio to animate the series. SIP Animation completed the full production of ''W.I.T.C.H. ''Season 2 around September 2005. Opening Sequences The US theme song entitled "We are W.i.t.c.h.", is performed by Marion Raven. There are three versions of the US theme song heared in Spanish. (1) A version heared in Spain, (2) a version heard in Latin America, (3) a Spanish version set to the US opening which can be heard if you switch the audio from English to Spanish. From episode 14 onwards, a new version of "We are W.i.t.c.h." as the show's opening sequence, replacing the "demo" version. The UK and US versions of the show have two different opening sequences. The UK version shows the girls and their powers in a "story version" with unique footage for the openings, while the US version shows action clips from some episodes and scenes from the W.I.T.C.H. demo reel. In the US, Season 2 didn't get a new opening because Disney wanted consistency when they aired Seasons 1 and 2 simultaneously. This doesn't apply to the UK Season 2 opening sequence, which did get revamped with new scenes. Episode list Season 1 # It Begins # It Resumes # The Key # Happy Birthday, Will # A Service to the Community # The Labyrinth # Divide and Conquer # Ambush at Torus Filney # Return of the Tracker # Framed # The Stone of Threbe # The Princess Revealed # Stop the Presses # Parents' Night # The Mudslugs # Ghosts of Elyon # The Mogriffs # Walk This Way # The Underwater Mines # The Seal of Phobos # Escape From Cavigor # Caleb's Challenge # The Battle of Meridian Plains # The Rebel Rescue # The Stolen Heart # The Final Battle Season 2 # A is for Anonymous # B is for Betrayal # C is for Changes # D is for Dangerous # E is for Enemy # F is for Facades # G is for Garbage # H is for Hunted # I is for Illusion # J is for Jewel # K is for Knowledge # L is for Loser # M is for Mercy # N is for Narcissist # O is for Obedience # P is for Protectors # Q is for Quarry # R is for Relentless # S is for Self # T is for Trauma # U is for Undivided # V is for Victory # W is for Witch # X is for Xanadu # Y is for Yield # Z is for Zenith The Guardians' Powers and Abilities Each Guardian's powers and abilities are fueled by Kandrakar, transmitted to the Heart via the Aurameres (the orbicular physical representations of the Guardians' powers and abilities). The Aurameres grant the same powers to each of their guardians; for instance, any powers and abilities held by Irma would also have been possessed by Cassidy. When the Guardians transform, they change form and grow wings, which help them fly through the air. Using the Heart of Kandrakar, a Guardian can create an Astral Drop, a duplicate of herself, when the words "Spord Lartsa" (Astral Drops spelt backwards) are said. Also the Guardians can combine their powers and abilities together and create a concentrated beam of mystical magical bright pink-colored glowing energy as seen in the first episode of the series. In the second season since the removal the Veil, the Guardians can travel across other worlds and planets by opening whitish-blue oval-shaped portals called folding, with the aid of the Heart of Kandracar. In order to travel to another place in the same world, each Guardian can teletransport. Teletransporting is a difficult power and ability to learn and one can materialize into another solid object if not careful enough. Also if a Guardian teletransports while not connected to an Auramere or a Heart than they will drain their life force which will greatly weaken them. The Guardians can also become one with their dragon (or in Will's case, the nymph Xin Jing) and literally become one with their element all the while vastly significantly strengthening and increasing all ''of their powers and abilities to innumerable uncontrollable levels; which makes them one thousand times stronger and one thousand times more powerful than if they had multiple Hearts. However this is risky and rather dangerous because it costs them their humanity (both their human form and the memory of their human life) and they could be easily controlled and enthralled. Also, it has been shown that if a Guardian uses her elemental powers and abilities and is not connected to an Auramere, it will drain their life force which will weaken them enormously. This may be why Nerissa aged so much faster than the rest of C.H.Y.K.N.. A Guardian can also become a Quinto-Guardian. A Quinto-Guardian has ''all of the powers and abilities over all five elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Quintessence including the individual powers/abilities. A Quinto-Guardian can also again the amazing power and ability to summon ice. The only known Quinto-Guardians are Cornelia (granted briefly by the Aurameres) and Nerissa (by using her Seal). *''Will and Nerissa control and manipulate the element of Quintessence '' *''Irma and Cassidy control and manipulate the element of Water'' *''Taranee and Halinor control and manipulate the element of Fire'' *''Cornelia and Kadma control and manipulate the element of Earth'' *''Hay Lin and Yan Lin control and manipulate the element of Air'' The Hearts The Hearts are the sources of mystical energy for the worlds they come from. They can be represented by a jewel, a talisman or a living being. Prominently featured in the series is the Heart of Kandrakar, a pendant that allows W.I.T.C.H. to transform. Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Elyon Brown, Queen of Meridian, is the Heart of Meridian, and Lillian Hale, Cornelia's younger sister, is the Heart of Earth. Planets Various planets play an important role in the W.I.T.C.H. series. Earth is the home of the Guardians of the Veil, later the Infinite Dimensions while Meridian, Kandrakar and Zamballa are mystical planets that are introduced as the story progresses and the evil forces get stronger. Nerissa also briefly visited a place called Aridia, a desert realm in an attempt to steal their Heart (an unnamed male rock giant). But her attempt failed when the Seal of Nerissa signaled that the other members of C.H.Y.K.N. were freed from her control. * Earth * Meridian * Kandrakar * Zamballa W.I.T.C.H. DVDs W.I.T.C.H. has been released on DVD in Europe, Australia, the Philippines (both in DVD and VCD versions, which is currently in the first season), Brazil, and Malaysia currently spanning 3 volumes, each containing episodes of season 1. They each come with 2 art cards featuring one of the W.I.T.C.H. girls. The DVDs together only contain the first 11 episodes. Volumes 4, 5 and 6 are planned to be released on the 3rd September 2007 for Region Code 1 and 2 and on the 17th of October for 3 and 4, which could see the rest of Season 1 on DVD. Two box sets have been released in the United Kingdom and Russia: the first box containing volumes 1, 2 and 3. The second contains volumes 4, 5 and 6. Trivia * For season 2, SIP Animation brought a new studio to animate the series. * The episode "M is for Mercy" was censored in the US version. The battle between Shagon and W.I.T.C.H. was edited to remove the scenes where Shagon hurts the girls. * In episodes "R is for Relentless" and "V is for Victory" of Season 2, Usagi Tsukino (Sarina in the English Dub) from Sailor Moon, dressed in her school uniform, makes two cameo appearances, first in the lunch line and then walking through the corridors of Sheffield Institute. {C Category:Content Category:Media